The splendour of Bordeaux to the glitz of Biarritz. And with five courses in Europe’s Top 100, you’re spoilt!
France has everything one could wish for and Bordeaux is the case in point.
Established by the Romans who found the natural river ports, wine and the perfect agricultural conditions to their liking, the area has prospered for over 2000 years. It retains all of its pomp and seamlessly shows off its renowned vineyards and countless chateaux. More recent additions include several good courses. It is now a serious golf destination.
Biarritz
Biarritz is a true golfing paradise. Add fine weather, great food and extensive nightlife to the equation and the result is a fantastic golf holiday.
Access is quick with plenty of flights in and around the resorts. Some clients drive down from the Channel ports and take an overnight stop to break the nine-hour drive with others preferring the overnight ferries to Bilbao or Santander. Once there, the resorts, courses and restaurants are all local so you’ll be doing more driving on the course than on the roads.
The scenery is impressive with massive beaches, thick forests, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees. Après-golf is lively with the locals loving a good party. And not only is it fun, it’s classy: remarkable hotels and villas, casinos, smart shops, pleasure ports and well-preserved fishing villages.
Gastronomy
Gastronomy in the South West is particularly well known for its foie gras, cassoulet, poule au pot and meat confit. Here, get a real taste of the land, its flavours, quality products and authentic age-old recipes.
From the Perigord to the Gers, and the Landes to the Tarn, South Western cuisine is composed of preserves and jarred dishes, stuffed preparations and confits. Cassoulet, for one, simmers for many hours so that the white beans soak in the flavours of the goose confit, Toulouse sausage and pork knuckle. When in Toulouse, you must try cassoulet at the Colombier, near Place du Capitol. In Pau in Béarn, do as native Henri IV would have and feast on a poule au pot, a type of pot-au-feu famous for having been the King’s favourite.
Pan-fried foie gras, duck breast and goose rillettes are sure to be listed on the region’s restaurant menus. Take time also to explore the picturesque foie gras markets, held all winter, where you’ll find chapon (or cockerel), duck, goose, and the famous South Western duck foie gras, a gem of French gastronomy. You could even learn a few tricks by taking a cooking class at the Quai des Saveurs in Bordeaux.
The black truffle reigns from Sarlat in Perigord to Lalbenque in Quercy, so when in the area, why not partake in a truffle hunting adventure with a dog or a pig? Or learn how to prepare the traditional truffle omelette with chef Pierre Corre at Auberge de la Truffe in Sorges. Aquitaine caviar is another exceptional product, bred in reputable sturgeon farms and found on the menus of fine South Western restaurants.
The Bordeaux cannelé is the ineluctable South West dessert, flavoured with aged rum and Bourbon vanilla, and baked in the grooved copper moulds from which it gets its name. As for local fruit, try the sweet Agen prune, the dried fruit from the ancient Ente plum tree.
Climate
The average annual temperatures are: from December-February: 5°C-12°C, from March-April: 6°C-17°C, from May-September: 13°C – 28°C, from October-November: 8°C-19°C.